Marathon taking new turns this year

By Jessica Belasco - Express-News :
July 28, 2010

Mariachi Damas de Jalisco was among the performers at last year's starting line on Broadway.

Mariachi Damas de Jalisco was among the performers at last year's starting line on Broadway.

Runners and walkers in the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon will get a change of scenery in this year's race.

Organizers are altering the course for the third annual event on Nov. 14. The main difference: The starting line is moving from Broadway near Lions Field to East Market Street in front of the Convention Center downtown.

That change means race participants staying in downtown hotels will be within walking distance of both the starting and finish lines. That eliminates the need for shuttles from downtown to the starting line, which caused complaints from runners in previous years.

Other route changes, such as moving the course adjacent to Mission San Jose on Mission Road around mile 20, are designed to lessen community impact by creating fewer obstructions for neighborhood residents and businesses.

From the starting line, participants will make their way along Market Street to the East Side, travel north on Cherry Street, swing back west to see the Alamo, then head up North St. Mary's Street to McCullough Avenue.

After a trek down San Pedro and Main avenues and a jaunt through King William, a route similar to the old one, half-marathoners will head to the finish line, which will remain adjacent to the Alamodome. Marathoners will travel down Mission Road to Stinson Airport and back.

There will be little to no elevation change in the course, Cruz said.

For participants not staying downtown, shuttles likely will be available again between the AT&T Center and the starting and finish lines, although Competitor Group, the San Diego, Calif.-based company that organizes the race, is still finalizing shuttle plans.

Besides easing transportation problems, a downtown-heavy course showcases San Antonio's tourist attractions, including the Alamo and the Tower of the Americas, said race director Kari Logan. It also should boost downtown business, she added.

“We're hoping to drive in a lot of tourists who can come in and spend money at the shops and the restaurants and the bars and stay at the hotels,” she said.

Last year's race attracted 25,241 out-of-town visitors and brought in $20.4 million in direct spending, according to Competitor Group.

Also new this year will be a relay option for the half-marathon.

Participants can choose to split the 13.1-mile course among two people, handing off a drumstick at a transition zone at East Commerce Street and Main Avenue.